There are many things that can drive employee spirit. In this article, we’re going to focus on issues that don’t require a big budget. As a matter of fact, they can actually reduce your budget while increasing effectiveness and Employee Spirit.

Issue #1 - Ownership

Have you ever noticed that high school and college alumni are among the most loyal, spirited people you’ll ever meet? Why is that? Is it because they are paid to be spirited? No. Are they only loyal when their school teams are winning? No. (But it does help the level of spirit displayed!) Even students who never play sports or attend football games display loyalty to their schools. And it’s important to note that they may have hated their principal or homeroom teacher, but had interaction with other administrators or teachers, providing opportunities to have been lifted up.

I believe that their loyalty has to do with the sense of belonging. While in school we have dozens and dozens of ways we could become involved – football, cheerleading, basketball, volleyball, and the sports list goes on – band, drama club, choir, photography club, art club, dance team, and the artistic list goes on. Then there are class officers and the student council – opportunities for students to have their voices heard. There are school newspapers and radio stations – a chance to freely express opinions and ideas. School dances and other social events provide great opportunities to organize and create experiences that the students care about attending. I feel sure you could easily add to this list.

The important question might be, “What similar ownership or sense of belonging opportunities do companies offer employees?” Perhaps HR and the administration offices have too much responsibility for things like the company newsletter and the organization of clubs, teams and employee functions. Perhaps every company should have “officers and councils” to represent the voices of employees without having to rely on union representation. Are there other ways we might consider in which we can transfer power, responsibility AND ownership to the actual team members?

Issue #2 – Personal Responsibility for the Journey

Once companies transfer more ownership to team members it then makes sense that those same team members are more apt to understand their personal responsibilities for managing their own journeys. It’s important for each of us to realize the huge portion of our life’s journey that is dedicated to work and that we can choose to make it a positive experience. Too often we allow the actions of others (especially in the work environment) to affect the tone or direction of our personal journeys.